DELLAMORTE’S BOX OFFICE WRAP UP 3/11/11

This just in: Did the phrase “from ashy to classy” originate from Ash Wednesday? Find out more.

There was a part of me that feared Battle: Los Angeles was really going to catch on. The best Sony can hope for right now is getting to $100 with their number, which is slightly better than The Green Hornet (which still hasn’t cleared $100 domestic). This is another one where international will likely save the day for a film that should be seen as a modest but uneventful success. Red Riding Hood could have also caught on, and though young women were aware of the film, it didn’t get their attention. It may also be front-loaded. The film likely cost too little to be of much consequence – someone eventually will figure out a way to get the Twilight audience interested in something else, but they haven’t yet, excepting maybe Alice in Wonderland.

And international better make it rain for Rango, as it may yet get to $100 domestic, but with a reported $135 Million budget, it’s not going to turn a profit domestically. Perhaps – as a kids’ film – it will get more home video love. The good news is it weathered direct competition, and won’t have to deal with another kid film for a month. Still. At least it’s not Mars Needs Moms which cost more and will never turn a profit unless – say – it becomes a huge film in Asia or something. With a reported $150 Million dollar budget, the domestic take is going to be closer to $20 Million than $200 Million. Studios sometimes fuck over their own titles, and this is one of them. This is the second 3-D flop in a row. But I wouldn’t worry about – say – Rio just yet, and Thor should have a $60+ opening weekend.

Solid holds for the most part, The Adjustment Bureau and Rango didn’t drop over 50% – which is what you want for a second weekend. Bureau was likely a little too expensive for its end total (if they’re lucky around $80, but more likely $60-ish), but it seems to be performing as well as could be hoped for. It came out in March, is what I’m saying. Hall Pass looks to be a modest non-failure, which likely won’t get in the way of the Farrelly’s Stooges film, and will do more domestic business than The Heartbreak Kid – a film that played much better internationally (Kid domestically made $36 Million, internationally it did $90). Perhaps Hall Pass will also do better internationally, but I assume Kid‘s number were high because of Ben Stiller. Hard to say, though Little Fockers did more business internationally than domestically.

Beastly’s gross is now equal to its budget, so it may yet turn a profit. Depends on how much it cost to sit on it for nearly a year. Just Go With It is on the $100 Million dollar crawl. It may yet get there. Since it’s a big Sandler comedy they may push it there for his track record. The King’s Speech is still a best picture winner, but interest is dying, so maybe it gets another $10 Million or so, or maybe it’s done. What we’re seeing is a new playing field for Oscar nominees and winners. Speech played as long as any movie has in the modern era (this is week sixteen), and Black Swan has also held on (it’s at it’s fifteenth week). But the new model seems to be that you make your money through the awards season, not after – as was the case when the limited release pattern would last months, not weeks. Gnomeo looks like it won’t make it to $100 without serious effort. Unknown and I Am Number Four are outside the top ten, shit’s getting pushed out, and next week offers three more titles. Of the bottom four, the one I suspect might hang in the top ten is The King’s Speech. Then again, I have no idea how well Paul is going to do and the marketing gives me no confidence. And after Take Me Home Tonight and Drive Angry and now Mars Needs Moms, when stuff doesn’t connect, it really doesn’t connect.